linux-kernel - Re: Converting dev->mutex into dev->spinlock ?

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Date:   Sat, 4 Feb 2023 10:40:52 -0500
From:   Alan Stern <stern@...land.harvard.edu>
To:     Tetsuo Handa <penguin-kernel@...ove.sakura.ne.jp>
Cc:     Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        "Rafael J. Wysocki" <rafael@...nel.org>,
        LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        USB list <linux-usb@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Converting dev->mutex into dev->spinlock ?

On Sun, Feb 05, 2023 at 12:30:07AM +0900, Tetsuo Handa wrote:
> On 2023/02/05 0:12, Alan Stern wrote:
> >>  it would solve many deadlocks in driver code if you can update
> > 
> > What deadlocks?  If there are so many deadlocks floating around in 
> > driver code, why haven't we heard about them before now?
> 
> Since dev->mutex is hidden from lockdep checks, nobody can see lockdep warnings.
> syzbot is reporting real deadlocks without lockdep warnings, for the fundamental
> problem you mentioned in https://lkml.kernel.org/r/Pine.LNX.4.44L0.0804171117450.18040-100000@iolanthe.rowland.org
> is remaining. I'm suggesting you that now is time to address this fundamental problem.

Maybe so.  But the place to address it is inside lockdep, not in the 
driver core.

> >> (by e.g. replacing dev->mutex with dev->spinlock and dev->atomic_flags).
> >> But I'm not familiar enough to propose such change...
> > 
> > Such a change cannot be made.  Consider this: Driver callbacks often
> > need to sleep.  But when a thread holds a spinlock, it is not allowed to 
> > sleep.  Therefore driver callbacks must not be invoked while a spinlock 
> > is held.
> 
> What I'm suggesting is "Do not call driver callbacks with dev->mutex held,
> by rewriting driver core code".

That cannot be done.  The only possible solution is to teach lockdep how 
to handle recursive locking structures.

Alan Stern